


The Calling

by zekelandons



Category: Manifest (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Curses, F/M, Fantasy, Magic, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24850900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zekelandons/pseuds/zekelandons
Summary: Zeke Landon is determined to find the girl that he loves, a beautiful princess named Michaela. Trouble is, she doesn’t know who he is, due to a curse that was cast upon her by her fiance, Prince Jared. Overtime, bits and pieces of her former life come back to her, and she and Zeke know that they have to stop the curse before they are lost forever…..
Relationships: Zeke Landon/Michaela Stone
Kudos: 11





	1. Zeke

_I could see her…_

_Her beautiful periwinkle blue dress that she wore when she snuck out of the ball shone in the pale moonlight. Her blonde hair bouncing up and down as she ran towards my arms and hugged me. The way her ocean blue eyes shone as she gazed into mine. The way her lips brushed against mine as she kissed me, pulling me closer to her. When she pulled apart, she sighed. “Zeke….” she whispered as she leaned in and kissed me deeper this time. “Mick…” I murmured against her lips. “My beautiful Mick.” She moaned happily. “I just want to stay like this, with you forever,” she murmured softly. “I know.” I rubbed my thumb on her cheek. “I want this too.”_

I woke up in a cold sweat. “It was a dream,” I muttered as I rolled out of my cloak. I heard Pork Rind, my beloved bay stallion nicker at me. “Morning boy,” I said as I gave him a quick rub on his face. “Ready to go on another adventure?” I only got a snort in response. “Huh,” I said as I pushed myself up from the ground and took Pork Rind’s reins. “Well, let’s get some food. I’m starving."

Pork Rind and I made our way through the woods. The birds sang their songs through the trees as a cold breeze blew across the forest. I felt myself shiver. A cold wind like that only meant one thing: something sinister was afoot. In this land, anything could happen. And for me, I was trapped in this forest where I was torn apart from the one person that I loved.

Let me explain. A year ago, a beautiful princess named Michaela saved my life in the woods. She had found me, freezing to death after I had passed out from drinking a little too much whiskey. She took me to her little hunting cabin where her nephew, Prince Cal was there, with supplies. She told me that Cal knew that I was out here and she knew too. When Michaela and I met for the first time, I felt this sheer, powerful force pulling me towards her and it felt like I was meeting someone that I had always known, but never really met them. I returned her back to the castle, with Prince Cal and I had left her for a period of time, because I didn’t think I was worthy of her, after all the mistakes that I had made. But Cal had chased me down, and told me that Michaela missed me so much and she longed to see me. So one night, we had met in a special place in the forest called Arverne and it was there where we confessed our love for each other and shared our first kiss. But, the thing was, Michaela was engaged to someone else. Prince Jared of the House of Vasquez. He wanted Michaela for himself and when word of our relationship reached his ears, he was determined to ruin our happiness. So, he cast a curse upon Michaela that made her lose her memories of me and Jared threw me out here in this forest where I could never find her. But, what he didn’t know, was that this curse could be broken. And I was going to break that curse and take back what he stole from me: the great love of my life.

As I rode Pork Rind through the forest, I heard the sound of horse hooves from behind me. I turned around and I saw three familiar faces. Sir TJ of the Golden Lion, Princess Olive and Prince Cal. They had worried looks on their faces. _Something’s up,_ I thought. “Sir TJ, your highnesses,” I said as I quicked bowed. Princess Olive made a sound. “Please, Zeke,” she said as she nudged her horse closer. “There’s no time for formalities here. We’re here because we need your help.” I looked at her with confusion. “What’s going on?” I asked, concern growing inside me. “It’s Michaela,” said Cal as he moved his horse closer. “The wedding is happening in three weeks time. We know that Jared has her under some kind of spell. You need to find her.” I shook my head. “How do I know where she is?” I asked. “Use this,” said TJ as he handed me a compass. “It will glow when you get closer to her. We know what Prince Jared is up to. And we all know how much Michaela means to you and you mean everything to her, but with her memory erased, she is going to be trapped in a marriage that’s only going to make the curse worse. Help her remember who you truly are. And we will get rid of Prince Jared and send him away for good.” I took the compass and examined it. It was a silver compass with an engraving of a peacock on it. I opened it and I noticed the delicate and expert craftsmanship that was done on this compass. “How am I supposed to get out of the forest?” I asked. “The curse is starting to weaken,” Princess Olive explained as she touched my arm. “That’s how we got in here. And that’s how you’re going to escape.” I gave her a nod. “Alright then,” I said as I grabbed Pork Rind’s reins and pulled him back. “Let’s go save the love of my life.” I pulled from my jerkin pocket the picture of Michaela that I found on a tree. It was her picture that drew me towards her in the first place. I looked at TJ, Olive and Cal. “Let’s go find her,” I said as I nudged Pork Rind on towards the edge of the woods. _I will find you,_ I promised silently to Michaela. _I always will_

.


	2. Michaela

_A cold breeze blew in the wind as I rode Tiramisu through the forest. I wasn't even supposed to be out here in the first place. Ben probably wanted me to stay inside and work on my wedding trousseau for my upcoming wedding to Prince Jared. But I wanted to go hunting. Something drew me out to the forest, like a strong force. Something was drawing me out here and as hard as I tried to ignore this feeling, I couldn’t. So, I snuck out of my bedroom and went outside via the secret staircase that was adjacent to my bedroom. Luckily for me, it led to the stables where Tira was waiting for me to arrive. I saddled her and I grabbed my quiver and my bow and slung them on my back and went off to find some game to bring back._

_As I rode along in the forest, I heard a faint whisper of a voice whisper in the breeze “Find her.” It kept saying that over and over again. And then, I heard it in my head, and it kept getting louder and louder. “What do you want?” I snapped. Tira’s only response was a snort. “I wasn’t talking to you, Tira,” I said as I rubbed her silky mane. “I was talking to the strange voice in my head.”_ I must be going crazy, _I thought as I nudged Tira on the path._

_It was nearly dusk and I realized that I was quite close to my hunting cabin. If I stayed out until dusk, I always made myself at home at this little cabin; it was simple and mundane, unlike my suite in the palace. I had caught a couple of hares and a pheasant with my bow and I knew that I could make something tasty out of it. I kept a supply of dried herbs hanging in the cabin and figured that might be useful for dinner. My mouth started watering at the thought of a pheasant stew. But, then, I heard hoofbeats and I turned around and I saw my ten year old nephew, Prince Cal on his horse, Dart. “Cal? What...what are you doing out here?” I asked. “Did you hear it?” he asked._

_“Hear what?”_

_“The voice that said ‘Find her?’ That voice.”_

_I nodded. “Yeah I heard it,” I said as I got off Tira. “Cal, do your parents know that you’re out here?” He shook his head. “I snuck out. I needed air.” I rolled my eyes. “Come on,” I said, as I led Tira towards the cabin. “Let’s get you warmed up----”_

_But just then, I heard a low moan and something crashing in the brush on the side of the road. “You hear that?” I asked Cal. He nodded. “Yeah,” he said as he got off Dart. “Let’s go see who it is.” Cal and I walked towards the brush that was next to the path and we looked around on the ground. I smelled a faint trace of whiskey and that’s when I saw him. It was a man, and he wore a black cape, with black trousers and black leather boots. He was lying face down on the ground and I knew in this weather, he wasn’t going to last long. “Cal!” I called as he made his way towards me. “Help me carry him to Tira,” I said as I rolled the man over. I looked at his face. He was a handsome looking man, and I guessed he was in his late twenties or early thirties. He had dark brown hair and a small beard though it was mostly stubble. The smell of whiskey was a lot stronger now as I leaned closer to check his pulse and luckily he had one. But then, I heard him faintly whisper, “Find her.” And that’s when I noticed the piece of paper that he was holding in his hands. I took the paper out and to my surprise and shock, it was a picture of me. I heard him whisper again “Find her.”_

I woke up, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I shot out of bed. I opened my eyes and I looked around and I realized that I was back in the tower again. _I was dreaming again,_ I thought as I got off my bed and looked around in my room. It wasn’t much of a room, there was a bed, a small desk and a chair with a wash basin in the corner. But then there were the windows. Except they weren’t normal windows; they had bars. But, I couldn’t get that dream out of my head, it felt like it happened before. Of course, I had no recollection of that day at all. I still remembered Cal but nothing else. I didn’t even know who that strange man was.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and I heard the sound of keys being turned in the lock. The door opened and a tall, dashing looking man came in. He wore a dark blue leather vest with a white shirt and black trousers along with a pair of black leather boots. He wore a blue leather cap with a black feather adorned on the top. He had olive skin that glowed in the early morning light. He gave me a small smile. “Good morning your highness,” said Prince Jared as he sat down on the chair. He grabbed from his vest pocket a small blue stone and held it up to me and I felt myself get dizzy. My head swam as I stared at the blue stone, which emitted a strange, aethreal light from it. “Are you ready for our session?” I nodded. “Yes, I am.”


	3. Zeke

_It was a cold day as I made my way through the woods with Pork Rind. I had just left the bar where I had my fair share of some good old whiskey to numb my pain. I hated this day in particular. It was the anniversary of my sister Chloe’s death. Each year, my mother would go to Chloe’s favorite beach and remember her by lighting a paper lantern and letting it fly over the lake. I don’t know what my father did on this day; he left a few months after Chloe’s death. I had turned to whiskey and other forms of alcohol to numb my grief. But it wasn’t just the grief that I was numbing. It was the guilt and the pain that had haunted me ever since._

_I still remember the day like it was yesterday. Chloe and I were out with our parents, on a little trip when we decided to see the ravine. My parents decided to stay in the wagon and rest a bit while they told me to watch Chloe. So, I went off with Chloe and we went to the ravine. I was lost in my thoughts, thinking about a girl that I liked from our village when I noticed that Chloe was missing. I searched for her and when I got to the ravine, I looked down and I felt a sickening feeling wash over me as I stared down at her dead body. It was then, when I realized that I killed my little sister. I ran back to the wagon and I told my parents about Chloe and they rushed towards the ravine and I remembered hearing my mother’s agonizing sobs of grief as she stared down at Chloe. My father had held on to her and I was just…..numb._

_Over the years, I made bad decisions, joined the wrong crowd and became part of a bandit group, preying on innocent travelers who traveled through the forest. My whiskey addiction grew as the years went by. I dated a beautiful girl named Courtney, who joined the bandit group a few years after Chloe’s death and we both were hard whiskey drinkers. Eventually, Courtney left the group and I was alone again. Overtime, the group disbanded and I was on my own. I had made a reputation for myself and I was known throughout the land as “Gold Star Landon”. Of course, when I found my wanted posters on the trees in the forest, I ripped them apart and buried them so no one could find them. It was on this day, however, where I didn’t see my wanted poster, but a different poster entirely._

_We were near the village of Tannersville, near to the area where Chloe died when I noticed a piece of paper flying through the air. I snatched it and I looked at the poster. It wasn’t a wanted poster, it was an announcement announcing the betrothal of Her Royal Highness, Princess Michaela of the House of Stone to Prince Jared of the House of Vasquez. I had heard about the princess from my bandit friends, they said that she is quite a beauty to behold. And I had to agree with them on that. She had beautiful blonde hair, smiling ocean blue eyes and a smile that was so sweet and so kind. And that’s when I felt this strange, gravitational force pull me towards the ground. Pork Rind whinnied as I fell off his back and onto the brush. I still grasped on to the picture of Michaela as I felt myself lose consciousness. But before I blacked out, I whispered faintly, probably in my drunkenness, “Find her.”_

“Zeke? Are you alright?” It was Olive. I looked around at my surroundings. We had left the forest a few hours ago and we had made our way to the palace where Michaela was being held prisoner. From the intel I had learned from Cal, Olive and TJ, I learned that Jared had wiped her memories and he kept her under his control using a strange blue stone that hypnotized her. I felt Olive nudge me. “You okay?” I nodded. “I’m fine,” I said as I rubbed my hand over my face. “Just lost in my thoughts.” She grunted. “Okay, so the rest of the soldiers are here, and they are waiting until nightfall to light the arrows and shoot them into the palace courtyard,” she said as she grabbed her bow. “Once that happens, we’ll scale up the wall and attack the garrison and make our way to the east tower, which is where Jared is holding Michaela prisoner. We’ll grab her and scale her down and we’ll run like hell and get her to safety and hopefully to a place where she can get her memories back.” Olive said as she took out her map and showed it to me. I looked at her, TJ and Cal and gave them a nod. “Right,” I said. “Let’s get her out of there.”


	4. Michaela

After Jared had left my room after our “session” I went back to my bed and I lay there, wishing that I could leave this place. I wasn’t allowed to leave my room for reasons unknown to me. With each passing day, the thought that I was a prisoner here was starting to get real each day. _But why?_ I thought as I rolled over and grabbed my pillow for comfort. Jared was my fiance for God’s sake. Why was he keeping me in here? The thought kept eating at my mind for the rest of the day.

It was getting close to nightfall. I spent the afternoon lying on my bed, crying because I didn’t understand what was going on. Why would the man I love keep in this place, locked up? My wedding was in three weeks, and it didn’t seem right that the bride-to-be should be kept locked up in a room when she should be helping with the preparations instead. It made no sense.

Just then, I heard a loud _**BOOM!**_ in the courtyard. I got off my bed and made my way to the window. I peered outside and I saw the garrison fleeing for their lives as fire arrows flew across the courtyard. “What is going on?” I whispered. Just then, I saw an arrow flying straight at me and I moved quickly aside to avoid getting hit. The arrow landed on my desk. I walked over to it and I picked the arrow up and I noticed that there was a little piece of paper that was tied on it. _A message arrow,_ I thought as I gingerly unrolled the paper. I looked at the message. It was in Cal’s handwriting. It said:

_Auntie Mick,_

_Help is coming. We are going to free you._

_-C_

All of a sudden, I felt some powerful force knock me to the ground and I felt myself lose consciousness.

_Cal and I brought the strange man into the hunting cabin where I lit a fire. I noticed Cal had brought supplies, like an extra cloak and a couple of blankets. I had helped Cal put the man on the ground and we put a spare mattress on the ground so he could lie there. I worked on making an herbal tea for the man so when he woke up, he could have something warm to drink. As I was making the tea for him, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man and how he had my picture. And how he said “Find her.” Why was he looking for me? But then, I remembered that I had heard that same voice in the wind when I was riding Tira through the woods. It made no sense then, but now, it did. If this man didn’t find me and Cal when he did, he would’ve most likely died._

_After I made the tea, I told Cal to send a messenger pigeon to his parents to let them know that he was okay. I knew Ben was going to be mad at me for it, but I didn’t care. As long as Cal was with me, he was fine. I knew how to defend myself from wolves and bears and other dangers that lurked in the forest. I kept a little aviary in the back with pigeons and I sent Cal over there to write a message and send it to the castle. I brought the cup of tea over to the man and I noticed he was still sound asleep. There was a chair by the mattress so I sat down and I waited until he woke up. A couple minutes later, Cal came back inside. “I sent them a message,” he said as he sat at the table. “I’m hungry. What can I have to eat here?” I shrugged. “Well, let me see what we got in the pantry,” I said as I got up. “I did take down a pheasant so I can cook up a pheasant stew. Let’s see if we got any veggies in here.” I opened the pantry door and I found some carrots and some potatoes. It wasn’t much, but that was what I had. I opened the spice drawer and I found some cumin, paprika, coriander and oregano and some rosemary. “I’m going to cook up a pheasant stew,” I told Cal. He smiled. “Great!” he said._

_After prepping the ingredients and skinning the pheasant, I put the stew in a cauldron and let it simmer over the fire. I joined Cal at the table. “So, buddy,” I said as I wrung my hands together. “You told me that you heard the guy say ‘Find her.’ When and where did you hear it?” “I was in my room and I felt this urge to go to the woods,” Cal said as he rubbed his hands on the table. “And while I was riding Art, I kept hearing ‘Find her’ and I saw a vision of a man. And I knew he needed help.” I nodded. “So you brought the necessary supplies,” I said as I looked at the blankets and the extra cloak that he brought. “Yup,” said Cal_

.

_Just then, I heard the man stir and give a low moan. “He’s waking up,” Cal said as he went over to the man’s side. I got up and I grabbed the tea and went to the man’s side. The man slowly opened his eyes and he gasped when he saw me. “It’s you,” he whispered. “You’re her. Princess Michaela?”_

I felt something shake me. “Mick? Mick wake up,” I heard a voice shake me out of my unconsciousness. I moaned as I rolled over and opened my eyes. It was the man from my visions. “I’m here and I’m getting you out of here.” I nodded. “Who are you?” I asked feebly. “Doesn’t matter right now. I gotta get you to safety. This place is dangerous for you.” I felt the man pick me up from the ground and carry me out the door.


	5. Zeke

While we waited for nightfall to come, I had Cal write a note that he could send to Michaela. I gave Cal a small sheet of paper and told him to write a very brief note to tell Michaela that she was going to be set free. After he wrote it, I tied the note to an arrow and weighted the arrow to make sure that it would fly correctly and be able to reach Michaela.

I had learned from Olive the ins and outs of Castle Vasquez. It was a well guarded castle but apparently, the night garrison was a bit dim witted according to her. “How do you know that?” I had asked her while we were gathering supplies for the attack. “I’ve been here a few times with Dad,” she told me. “I don’t know why I came; I’m not getting married yet, but I suppose Dad wanted company.” I nodded. “Could be,” I said as I pursed my lips. “He doesn’t have siblings, does he? Prince Jared?” Olive shook her head. “It’s just him.” I sighed. My mind was going in all sorts of places. I was worried about Michaela, worried that the mission might fail, worried that she might not remember me. Olive touched my arm. “Hey,” she said softly, while she gazed into my eyes. “We’re going to get her out of there. So you can have a future together.” I gave her a nod and we continued on fetching suppplies.

When nightfall came, Olive’s other recruits came. I first smelled a scent of salt and then I saw them. _Sailors. She’s brought sailors,_ I thought as I looked at them. It was a small crew, but it was what we got. I noticed a burly, stocky barrel chested man in the center and I assumed that was the captain. Olive went over and greeted them. “Captain Yusuf,” she said while she gave a quick curtsey. The captain gave a small bow. “Princess Olive,” he said as he kissed her hand. “It is a pleasure to see you once again.” “And the pleasure is mine. I’m glad you were able to come on such a quick notice.” The captain gave a nod. “You told me that there is a man here who knows the fair maiden we are rescuing?” Olive gestured towards me. “This is Zeke Landon,” Olive said as she led the captain to me. “He is the lover of Her Royal Highness Princess Michaela of the House of Stone. Zeke, this is Captain Yusuf Al-Zuras.” Al-Zuras extended his hand out and he shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, Captain,” I said, my voice tight. “I’m glad that you were able to come and help us out.” Al-Zuras laughed. “The pleasure is mine! My boys love a good raid and when Princess Olive wrote to us about a mission, we knew that we had to take it. Plus, we have heard good things about the princess. Princess Olive said that Princess Michaela means a lot to you.” I nodded. “She does. And that Prince Jared wants her for himself. He doesn’t deserve her. Will you join me in freeing the love of my life?” Al-Zuras turned to his men. “Whatcha think, boys?” he yelled to his crew. “You want to save a princess?” There was a loud but hearty “AYE!” that rose up from the crew. AL-Zuras grinned at me. “You got a team. Let’s go save that princess of yours.” _I’m coming, Michaela, I told her in my head. I’m coming. Hold on._

TJ shot the arrow with the message towards the east tower where Michaela was being held prisoner. I watched as the arrow flew across the palace courtyard. Before the message arrow was shot, we had fired fire arrows and we could hear the commotion and yelling in the courtyard. Meanwhile, we grabbed out our wall anchors that would help us scale the wall. Olive, TJ, Cal and I scaled up the walls and Olive and Cal when we got to the top, quickly opened the gates to let Al-Zuras and his men in.

TJ and I fought off the garrison who were on duty on the walls and they were probably the worst fighters I had seen. Clearly they weren’t trained well at all. TJ and I made our way through the castle and when we got to the throne room, I told him to join the rest of the crew while I went to find Michaela.

We had discarded the idea of climbing the tower wall and lowering Michaela down from the tower due to the possible risks that could happen. Luckily for me, I had captured a guard and interrogated him, asking him if there were any secret doors or staircases and he said that the east tower had a secret staircase. In return for his favor, I knocked him out with the hilt of my sword so he wouldn’t follow me.

For a tower that was supposed to hold a prisoner, it was very poorly guarded. There were at least two sentries that were posted in the tower itself and they were both fast asleep. “This is the easiest raid I have ever been on,” I muttered to myself as I climbed the tower staircase. When I reached the top of the tower, I found the door that led to Michaela’s cell. I had stolen the keys from a sentry and opened the door. I found Michaela passed out on the ground. She wore a light blue dress and her blonde hair was in tangles. Clearly she wasn’t in good shape. I walked towards her and knelt on the ground and shook her gently. “Mick? Mick wake up,” I whispered softly. “I’m here and I’m getting you out of here.” “Who are you?” she asked. I figured that she would say that, since her memory was wiped. “Doesn’t matter right now. I gotta get you to safety. This place is dangerous for you.” I told her as I scooped up from the ground and carried her to the secret staircase where we could escape to freedom.


	6. Michaela

As the dashing tall stranger led me out of the castle, I couldn’t help but think that I somehow knew this person but I just couldn’t remember who he was or how I knew him. We had gone through a secret staircase that led to the stables and he got on one of the horses and he swung me up onto the horse and we dashed out of the courtyard. While we were riding out, I heard Jared yelling “STOP!” from behind us. The stranger turned the horse around and stared down at Jared. “You’re too late,” the stranger sneered. “I got her now. She’s mine and always will be mine.” Jared laughed mockingly. “Does she really want to be with you? A bandit?” The stranger nodded. “Yes. But, she doesn’t remember who I am, but that will change. But, what I do know, is that she wasn’t happy here with you and I’m setting her free from a loveless marriage” With that, the stranger turned the horse around and we kept riding along.

We rendezvous at a small grove of trees. I noticed Cal, Olive and TJ standing by an old elm tree and when we got closer their faces lit up. “Auntie Mick!” cried Cal as he ran towards me. The stranger stopped the horse and he helped me get off. Cal and Olive dashed towards me and gave me a giant bear hug. “Hey guys,” I said as I pulled them close. “I missed you guys so much. Thank you for rescuing me.” “You’re welcome,” Olive said. I gave her a small smile. The stranger cleared his throat. “Right,” said the stranger as he rubbed his hands together. “We need to explain to Michaela what happened. And we have to make a journey to the Healer to get the potion that will help her regain her memories back.” I looked at the stranger. “What is going on?” I asked, confused. He took my hand and led me to a small patch of wildflowers. There were two rocks that stood out and we sat on them. “A year ago, you saved my life,” he started. “You and Cal saved me from freezing to death.” I nodded. “I’ve been getting glimpses of that,” I explained. “They come in at unpredictable times. And--” I then felt the familiar force of a memory start to wash over me as I started to lose consciousness.

_I looked at Cal then at the stranger. “Yes, I’m Princess Michaela,” I said, my voice shaky. “How…” Then I realized that he had that picture of me. “And, who might you be?” I asked as I grabbed the tea for him and he took it and sipped it. “I’m Zeke,” he said as he set the tea down. “That’s an interesting name,” I said. “It’s short for Ezekiel, if you’re wondering.”_

_“Ahh. I see.”_

_We were silent for a moment. “What were you doing out here?” I asked. “I was just leaving a bar,” Zeke said. “And I was riding with my horse Pork Rind when I saw your poster.” He pulled the poster from out of his pocket. “It’s the betrothal announcement,” I murmured. “The wedding is in a year.” “So, when I looked at your poster, I felt this gravitational force pull me to the ground and I blacked out. But, I wanted to find you.” “And you did,” I said. I paused. “I heard a voice in the wind say ‘Find her.’ And then my nephew Cal and I found your body. Cal….he has this sixth sense, where he can predict what might happen and he said he knew that you were going to come here. Which is why he brought these supplies.” Zeke nodded. “Thank you for rescuing me, your highness,” he started but I made a small noise. “Just call me Mick,” I said. “I’m not much of a princess out here.” Zeke laughed. “You certainly don’t like a princess with the clothes you have on.” “Exactly.” I smelled the stew cooking and I excused myself to go and dish it out. As I was dishing the soup out, I couldn’t help but think that there was something about this man that was drawing me towards him. It was like a pull, a force if you will, that kept pulling me towards him. And I don’t know why, but there had to be a reason for it._

I opened my eyes and I saw Zeke standing there, his gentle hazel eyes filled with concern. “You alright?” he asked as he reached his hand out and pulled me up from the ground. “Yeah,” I said as I brushed the dirt off of my dress. “I had another memory come back to me. I know your name now. Zeke.” He nodded, with a huge smile on his face. “We’re getting closer to helping you remember everything. But we are going to pay a visit to a fairy who is known as the Healer. She has a potion that will help you regain your memories.”

Zeke, Cal, Olive, TJ and I rode off to where the Healer lived. After Zeke and I had come back from our little talk, Al-Zuras and his men returned and Zeke and Olive paid them some money for their services and Al-Zuras and his men left us to head back to sea. The Healer lived in a part of the forest called Koch Crossing. It was said to be a very popular area for people to come and get medical help. We came to a little hut and Zeke knocked on the door. A moment later, a beautiful young woman with long dark black hair, olive toned skin and bright brown eyes answered the door. “Saanvi,” said Zeke as he did a quick bow. “Zeke, your highnesses,” said Saanvi as she did a quick curtsey. “I’m glad you came. Come inside.”


	7. Zeke

Saanvi led us inside her little hut. There was an area that was closed off by a black curtain which I assume was her bedroom. On one corner was a very small kitchen, with a fireplace and a small cupboard to keep her dishes inside. The space that took up the most room in the little hut was Saanvi’s lab. There were test tubes, beakers filled with all kinds of magic potions that were used for healing. Saanvi was a healing fairy; her one talent was learning about medicine and healing. And she loved it.

A few years ago, Saanvi saved my life during an extremely cold winter. I had come down with a severe case of frostbite and wanting to relieve myself of the pain, I went to anyone who could help me but no one had the cure I was looking for. Until one day, a little boy told me about a fairy called the Healer. The Healer had cured him of an incurable disease and he said that she did wonders to others. So, setting off, I went to Koch Crossing and I met Saanvi, who gladly took me in and she gave me the cure that I was looking for. A few years back, Prince Cal had gotten extremely sick from an unknown disease. King Ben and Queen Grace had searched across the land for a cure and I sent an anonymous message by a messenger pigeon to tell them about the Healer. It seemed like they had gotten my message because a few months after I sent that message to the King and Queen, Saanvi wrote to me and told me that they had come to her for help and she was able to cure Cal. Since then, Saanvi became a very close friend to the King and the Queen and her healing magic was considered extremely advanced for someone her age.

I had written to Saanvi asking her if she had a potion that could break Prince Jared’s curse that he had cast on Michaela. She wrote back to me and told me that she was working on it and that it should be ready soon. I had told Cal, Olive and TJ about how Saanvi may have the cure for the curse. I just hoped it would work.

“How are your travels, Zeke?” asked Saanvi as she paced around the hut, grabbing the potions that she needed. “Pretty boring,” I said as I leaned against the wall. “There’s not much going around in a forest that you can’t get out of. It’s pretty boring.” Saanvi laughed. “I’m sure it is. But, is she okay?” I shrugged. “She knows my name, but otherwise, she doesn’t remember what I mean to her.” Saanvi stepped closer. “She doesn’t remember falling in love with you?” I shook my head. “Her memories are coming in little spurts,” I explained. “She blacks out and I think how she is seeing them is in chronological order. The last time she blacked out, she remembered our first meeting in the cabin.” Saanvi nodded. “Ok.” I gazed at Saanvi nervously. “Is it ready?” I asked. She gave a small nod. “I had to do some slight adjustments to the formula,” she said as she grabbed a beaker with a blue liquid inside. “The original one didn’t work the way I wanted it to so I had to do some digging in some old textbooks from potion school but I think I got the cure.” I felt my heart beat nervously. _This better work,_ I thought as I went to Michaela’s side. “Saanvi is ready for you,” I whispered. She gave me a small smile. “Okay, I’m ready,” she murmured. Saanvi walked over to her and gave her the potion. “Just drink a little bit,” she said, her voice stern. “You’ll fall into a slumber and hopefully your memories should come back.” Michaela took a tiny sip of the potion from the beaker and I noticed she winced at the sour aftertaste. “It’s bitter,” she muttered. “Of course it is,” Saanvi muttered under her breath. “Potions aren’t supposed to taste sweet.” I noticed Michaela began to wobble and I grabbed her arms and led her to Saanvi’s bed and I put her down on the bed. “Sleep tight,” I whispered. She nodded sleepily. “I’ll try,” she whispered before she fell asleep. As she slept, my mind wandered

 _The next day, I told Michaela and Cal that I would see them back to the castle. Michaela protested, saying that she could take Cal and herself back on their own but I insisted. She gave in, much to her dismay and much to Cal’s great pleasure. Prince Cal and I had bonded overnight on our shared love for a game called Monopoly. The two of us played while Michaela watched us, except I think she was watching me. I found myself sneaking little glances at her. She truly was beautiful. Her beautiful ocean blue eyes shone in the dim light and the longer I stared at them, the more I felt like I was gazing into her soul. Before we headed to bed, she pulled me aside and we took a walk outside under the stars. I felt like something was up with her. We were silent for a moment before she spoke. “Zeke,” she started as she rubbed her hands together. “Yeah?” I asked. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but do you feel something….pulling you?” I looked at her in surprise._ She feels it too, _I thought. “Yeah,” I breathed. “I’ve...never felt anything like this before. Have you?” She shook her head. She moved her left hand and I noticed the ring. “So, Prince Jared huh? He’s a lucky man,” I said, trying to change the subject. Michaela gave a look that said otherwise. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s nothing,” she said but I looked at her and I just felt that force pull me closer to her. “Mick, you have to tell me what’s wrong.” That’s when she started crying. I grabbed her arms gently and I found a tree stump that was big enough for the two of us to sit on. She cried into my arms, her sobs muffled. I rubbed her back gently, hoping that would give her some comfort. She looked up at me. “I can’t marry him,” she sobbed. “I’ll never be a good wife, or a good queen. Not after what I did to my best friend.” “What happened to you friend?” “I killed her,” she cried. “It was an accident, at least that’s what everyone tells me but I was drinking and I shouldn’t have driven the carriage home that night. Evie was drunk too, but she was so much more drunk than I was so I thought I could drive her home but I caused the carriage to fall into a ditch and Evie broke her neck. And Jared, I’ve known him for half of my life. I thought he would understand but he doesn’t get it, nor does Ben. No one does. No one knows the pain and guilt that I feel everyday and I hate it.” I took Michaela’s hands in my own and I looked at her. “I know,” I said. She gave me a surprised expression. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I know that pain because I had felt it too. I was responsible for my little sister Chloe’s death. She fell off a ravine and I should’ve been watching her but I was foolish and she died because of my carelessness. And for years, I tried to numb the pain with alcohol but it only makes it worse.” Michaela looked at me with surprise. “You...you know that feeling too?” she asked, her voice high pitched. I nodded. “Yes. And I didn’t think there was anyone else out in the world who would understand that pain, that type of loss. But, now I found someone who knows.” Then, Michaela pulled me closer and we embraced and we held on to each other, giving each other the support that we needed. After a while, we headed back inside to the cabin and went to bed. While I was drifting off to sleep, the realization that I was falling in love with a girl that I couldn’t have kept getting stronger. I didn’t deserve her, after all the things that I did in my past. Would she even love me for who I was? The thought kept eating away at my mind until I fell asleep._

_We reached the castle gates and I looked at Michaela with longing. I wanted her so bad. For the first time in my life, I had found someone who actually understood me. And I wanted to know more about her and what she was like, but alas, that was not possible. I was a bandit; I made mistakes and I hurt people, more than once. A beautiful, kind and caring princess like her didn’t deserve me at all. I was brought back to reality when Cal cleared his throat. “Thank you Zeke for bringing us back home,” he chirped. I nodded. “The pleasure was mine,” I said as I did a quick bow. I got off my horse and I helped Michaela get down from hers. We found ourselves staring into each others eyes, not wanting this moment to end. I took her hand and I raised it to my lips. “Farewell, your highness,” I murmured. “I hope you have a happy marriage with Prince Jared.” She nodded sadly. “I don’t want you to go,” she whispered. “Please, keep in touch with me.” I gave her a small nod. “I will. I promise that I will write to you.” Just then, I heard voices and I saw King Ben and Queen Grace and Princess Olive dash out of the castle gates. “Cal! Michaela!” cried King Ben as he embraced his sister and son. “We were so worried about you.” “It’s okay, Dad,” Cal said as he pulled apart from the embrace. “This man brought us home. We saved his life in the woods.” King Ben gave me a nod and I did a little bow. I was not a fan of bowing but royalty is royalty. Gotta respect them._

_“I’m glad to know that they are safe,” King Ben said to me._

_“They were very generous to me. I am forever in their debt.”_

_“Thank you for your service and I hope you have safe travels to wherever you are heading.” “Thank you, your majesty.” With that, I turned back to Pork Rind, climbed onto the saddle, and rode off. I looked back once and Michaela was still looking at me, and that pull I kept feeling towards her was only getting stronger._

Just then, I heard loud shouts and the sound of swords clashing. Saanvi came inside. “It’s Prince Jared,” she gasped. “He’s here for the princess.” I looked at Michaela, who was lying peacefully on the bed. “We gotta stop him before he does something bad,” I said as I grabbed my sword from my belt. I was not going to let that coward of a prince take my soulmate away from me ever again.


	8. Michaela

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Steamwagon while reading this chapter.

_Two months had passed since Zeke returned Cal and I back to the castle. I had sent messenger pigeons to Zeke in hopes that he would return a message but I didn’t get a message back. He promised that he would, but he didn’t. I was starting to worry that he didn’t want to see me anymore. And it made me feel sick._

_Everyone noticed my mood was different. I was walking in the courtyard of the castle a lot more than normal and spending time in the library. I sometimes fell asleep in the library reading books. I started to avoid everyone including Jared. When he asked what was wrong, I pushed him aside, not wanting to speak with him at all. I didn’t know what this feeling was and why it was literally nagging at me._

_Six months had passed since Zeke left and I was still miserable. And everyone knew something was up. But Cal was the only one who knew what was going on with me and my tortured feelings. One day, I was walking in the arbor that grew by the castle and I sat down on the bench that was by one of the trees and sighed. I couldn’t deny it; I was falling in love with someone that I knew that I couldn’t be with. Someone who my dad would definitely not approve of, but Ben made all my decisions for me after Dad died a few years back. And Ben would definitely not approve of Zeke and Jared would definitely not approve of Zeke at all. I didn’t care anymore, I was done. I would give up my place in line for the throne to be with a commoner. I remembered that night when I told him about Evie and how he just knew. He knew that pain, that guilt, the hurt, Zeke just knew everything about it. I had finally found someone who just understood me for who I was; broken, and flawed. I tried to show the kingdom that I was a good princess, poised and elegant, but I wasn’t._ Imagine some queen I’ll be, _I thought miserably as I thought about the wedding._ Everyone will mock me.

_Just then, I heard something behind me and I found Cal standing behind me. “Hey Auntie Mick,” he said as he sat next to me. “You okay?” I nodded. “I’m fine,” I said but Cal gave me a look that said otherwise. “Okay, I’m not fine!” I exclaimed. “I just wish…” I trailed off when Cal looked at me. “You need him,” he said. “You need Zeke and he needs you.” Cal’s voice was so innocent, like a child. I looked at him in surprise. “How...how do you know?” I asked him, flabbergasted that he guessed that. “I told you, I know.” he shrugged. “I just know that you look out on the tower waiting for him to come back to you. You know, he doesn’t think that he’s worthy of your love, he’s made so many mistakes in his life and he doesn’t think that you would love him for that.” I gazed at Cal. I felt my heart ache even more. “Find him for me please, Cal,” I begged him. “Tell him that I want to see him. Tell him to meet me at Arverne at the full moon. I’ll be waiting for him there.” Cal nodded. “I’ll go find him for you Auntie Mick. I want you to be happy and he is the only person who can do that. Prince Jared can’t do that for you but Zeke can.” With that, Cal left and I was left alone in my thoughts again. “I love him,” I said out loud. “And I only want him and him only.” It felt like part of a huge weight just got lifted off my shoulders but I knew it wouldn’t be completely off until I told Zeke that I loved him and I wanted him._ Please come, _I thought_. Please please come.

I woke up to sounds of shouting and swords clashing. I saw that Zeke was still by my bedside. “Zeke what’s going on?” I asked, fear growing in my voice. “Prince Jared,” he snarled as he grabbed his sword. “That son of a bitch is back and he is going take you back.” I gasped. “If he takes me, he’s going to make me marry him, and I...I can’t have him do that because I...think I remember who you are to me now.” Zeke dashed to my side. “What do you remember?” he asked. “I-” I started but I didn’t finish because I felt a strong force pull me back and I saw the anger in Zeke’s eyes as Prince Jared pulled me back using his Dark Magic. “Zeke! Help!” I cried. “He’s not going to help you, because he is going to die,” said Jared, his voice filled with menace. I turned to face Jared. “Please don’t!” I begged him. “I love him! He is the one I want to spend my life with, and I don’t want to lose him!” I turned back to Zeke and I saw the pain and the relief in his eyes. “I will find you Mick!” he cried as I was pulled away by Jared’s magic. “I will always find you!”


	9. Zeke

I felt the anger inside of me rise and rise until I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran outside with my sword and found a tree and hit my sword on the tree several time, cursing Prince Jared’s name to the ends of the earth and how he was going to regret stealing Michaela from me. I felt myself slowly slump to the ground as I sobbed uncontrollably. _I lost her again,_ I thought miserably to myself. _I can’t lose her again._ I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t feel Saanvi put her hand on my shoulder. I found myself gazing into her brown eyes. “Hey come inside,” she said as pulled me up. “You’re in shock. You need to rest before you find her again.” As much as I wanted to chase down Jared, I knew I needed to rest and come up with a plan before we could rescue Michaela again.

Saanvi gave me a potion that would renew my strength and she told me to lay down for a bit. The others were coming up with a plan to get Michaela back and I prayed that it was a good plan. While they were discussing their ideas, I felt my eyelids droop and the potion that Saanvi gave me did its work.

_Six months had passed since I had last seen Michaela and since then, the pull that I felt towards her was only getting stronger by the day. Messenger pigeons had come to me delivering messages from Michaela. I had kept them of course, but I never read them. I didn’t have time. I had left my old life of being a bandit behind and now I was a messenger, delivering messages for local lords in the land. I was near a little place called Doug’s Tavern when I heard a familiar whinny and a familiar voice call my name. “Zeke!” said Cal as he urged his horse closer to Pork Rind. I was shocked to see Cal here, it was a ways off from the castle. “I found you!” he said happily. I chuckled at Cal. “Well I suppose you did,” I told him. “What are you doing here?” He gestured me towards a grove of trees that were by the tavern. “Let’s talk over there,” he said as he urged his horse in that direction. “It’s a bit more secluded from the road.” I urged Pork Rind to follow Cal._

_When we got off our horses, we found two old stumps that were near the grove of trees and we sat on them. I sighed. “I know what this is about,” I said as I played with Pork Rind’s reins. “It’s Michaela isn't it?” Cal nodded. “She misses you,” he said. “She wants to see you and she wants to tell you something.” Cal paused before he continued. “And I know you feel it too.”_ Damn, _I thought as I tried to wrap my mind around on what Cal just told me. “She...she feels the same way as I do about her?” I asked him. “Yes,” he said. “She wants you to meet her at Arverne at the full moon. She’ll be waiting for you there.” My mind was spinning. I was trying to run away from this strong force but now, I realized that I didn’t have to. If she felt the same, I knew that I had to tell her that I loved her back. The full moon was in two nights and that was enough time to get to Arverne._

_Two nights later, I arrived in Arverne. It was a beautiful part of the forest that was said to be filled with magic. I could see why Michaela wanted me to meet her here. It was so peaceful and secluded. The pale moonlight shone across the trees as I walked to the spot where Michaela wanted me to meet her. As I walked along, I remembered the notes that she had given to me and after Cal had left me, I pulled them out and I read them and my heart went out to hers and I could feel the same tortured feelings that she felt. The one note that stuck out to me and one that I cherished the most said this:_

Dear Zeke,

I don’t know how else to say this but...I need you.

_Those simple words were burned into my heart and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I couldn’t fight this feeling any longer. I quickened my pace, eager to see her once again._

_I saw her by the trellis where she wanted me to meet her. She wore a beautiful silver dress that glowed in the pale moonlight. Her blonde hair was beautiful in the moonlight but her eyes were so much more beautiful. I paused for a moment, taking her in._ Six months, _I thought as I walked closer to her._ Six months. _When we got close enough to each other, we just stared into each other's eyes. The longer I gazed at her eyes, the more I was falling deeper in love with her and I could see her soul, beautiful and pure. “Michaela….” I started. I didn’t finish because she leaned closer, softly and gently, she kissed me. She pulled back and we looked at each other again. “I can’t fight this feeling anymore,” she said. “And I know you can’t either.” We were silent for a moment before I leaned in and closed the gap between our lips. In that moment, I felt like everything had finally come together. I had finally found my soulmate, my great love. I felt her hand move towards the back of my head as she deepened the kiss. We pulled apart to catch our breath before we kissed again. When we pulled apart, we leaned our foreheads together and we both sighed at the same time. “I love you,” I whispered. “I love you too.” she murmured back. We could feel something powerful surround us, bringing us comfort and protection._

I woke up and I moaned. I didn’t want to leave that memory. It was my favorite memory of Michaela. I looked up towards the table where TJ, Olive, Cal and Saanvi were talking. I got off the bed and I walked towards them. “So what’s up?” I asked them. Olive looked at me, her eyes filled with fear but also determination. “The wedding just got moved from three weeks to three nights from tonight,” she said. “We got a messenger pigeon from out contact and apparently plans got changed. Prince Jared is determined to marry her as soon as possible.” “That means, we got a wedding to crash.” I said as I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “Well, can you call your sailor friends again? I think we are going to need their services again.” TJ grinned at me. “We just sent them a message and they are going to join us,” he said as he took a sip of his drink. “We are going to rescue her once and for all this time.” Cal said as he stood up. TJ and Olive followed in suit. “We will fight to get her back, Zeke,” said Saanvi as she opened up her wings. “Let’s do this,” I said as I grabbed my sword. “Let’s go crash a wedding!”


	10. Michaela

After Jared had kidnapped me once again, he knocked me out with some sort of spell. I didn’t wake up until hours later. I found myself not in the castle tower where I was kept as a prisoner but in a suite of fancy rooms. Then that’s when it hit me: I was back at Castle Vasquez. _Except I thought they..._ my thought trailed off when I heard the door open. It was Jared. Next to me was a letter opener, a long deadly one. I grabbed it. “What the hell do you want from me?” I snarled at him. “I want you, Mick,” he said as he came closer to me. “Well, I don’t want you,” I retorted crispily. “I only want one person. And that’s Zeke.” Jared laughed, but there was no humor in that laugh. Just menace. “Huh. You really think that sly bandit can defeat me?” he asked. I nodded. “He is strong and brave,” I said, my voice filled with anger at Jared. “He will defeat you.” “No he won’t,” said Jared as he walked towards me and grabbed me. I pulled back and held out the dagger at him. “Oh he will,” I whispered. “And if you try to hurt him, you will get hurt and I don’t mean I’ll stab you with this. Believe me, you’ll spend the rest of your days in jail, only to be known as the most hated prince in the whole kingdom.” I gave Jared a long glare. “You can’t stop true love,” I breathed. “And true love is going to win.” Jared was silent. Then he spoke. “You have three nights before you become my wife,” he growled. “I suggest you get rid of that attitude of yours and start acting like a princess. You are not to leave this room. There is a guard posted outside the door. Don’t even think about leaving. Understood?” I gave him a smirk. “We’ll see,” I said slyly as I turned around. “We shall see.”

After Jared had left my room, I was subjected to a dress fitting. My wedding dress came from a far off land called Florin. It was a very pretty dress indeed, but definitely for someone who was actually destined to be a queen. It was a silvery-bluish dress with beautiful diamonds sewn on the dress. The material was soft and sheen and it shone in the light. It had long sleeves and a very long cape in the same color. When I wore it, however, the dress seemed…..heavy. Like I was worn down with responsibility. _That’s what it means to be a queen I guess,_ I thought as the maids smoothed out the dress. One of the maids brought out the giant crown that I was going to wear on my wedding day. It was an ugly thing in my opinion. _How does anyone manage to wear a crown that big on their head?_ I wondered as the maid put it on my head. As she put it on my head, I could feel myself starting to sink down towards the ground due to the weight of the crown. “Take it off!” I snapped. “It’s too heavy!” One of the maids smirked. “Didn’t they teach you in princess school to balance books on your head?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “What’s your name, maid?” I asked. “Tamara,” she replied. “Listen Tamara,” I said, my voice sharp as ice. “There is no such thing as princess school. I also didn’t learn how to balance books on my head so if you will please, find a different crown for me to wear for my blasted wedding.” Tamara smirked. “No can do,” she said with mock sweetness. “Prince Jared insists you wear that crown. So good luck walking down the aisle in that.” I sighed as I got down from the stepping stool that I was standing on. “Huh,” I said as I looked at Tamara. I reached for the crown and handed it to another maid while I went up towards Tamara. “Find me a different crown. And I mean it.” Tamara laughed again. “Good luck,” she said. “You’re going to need it.” With that, she called for the rest of her maids to follow her and I was left alone. _It’s about damn time,_ I thought as I dashed towards my desk and grabbed out a sheet of paper and a quill. I found some ink in the desk drawer and I opened it carefully to avoid spoiling on my clothes and I wrote a message to Zeke.

_Zeke,_

_The wedding is in three nights. Please come. I love you._

_-Mick_

I tied up the message with a little bit of twine and I saw a messenger pigeon waiting for me at the window. I silently praised the good people who were in my life who would save me from this marriage. Taking the bird gently, I tied the note onto its leg and I whispered to it in Pigeon-speak to give it directions on where it needed to go and who it needed to find. I learned Pigeon-speak when I was a girl; it was a series of chirps, coos and whistles that told the pigeon where to take the message. It’s a fairly easy language to learn and something that I found useful in school. As I threw the pigeon gently into the cool night air, I prayed that Zeke and the rest of the gang would come rescue me. I wanted to be free more than anything and a life with Zeke was all I wanted. _Hurry love,_ I pleaded. _Hurry._


	11. Zeke

The next day, Cal, Olive, TJ, Saanvi and I set out back to Castle Vasquez to go crash the wedding. We traveled fast, stopping occasionally for a break to let our horses rest. Towards the end of the night, we rendezvous with Al-Zuras and his men again at the same place where we first met when we freed Michaela. Al-Zuras was in a good mood when we arrived. “Ahhh Sir Landon!” he said as he gave me a huge bear hug. I winced as his arms crushed against my chest. “It’s so good to see you again!” “I’m…..not…...a…….knight,” I gasped as he pulled me closer. “And…...you…..can…...let…...go…..of…...me…...now!” Al-Zuras released me from the bear hug and I fell on the ground, gasping for air. If there was one thing I knew about sailors it was definitely that they loved a good ‘ol bear hug. Al-Zuras held out a hand and I took it and he pulled me up from the ground. “It is nice to see you again too,” I said as I dusted the dirt off my clothes. “So, your princess got kidnapped again?” he asked. I nodded. “Much to my great displeasure,” I muttered. “The wedding got moved to three nights from tonight. We could just rescue her right now, but I want to crash a wedding. But we gotta be quick and thorough about it.” Al-Zuras nodded. “You look tired,” he said. “Go rest a bit.” I gave him a small nod. “Yeah, I think I will.” I made my way to a patch of trees and I took my bags and made a makeshift pillow for myself and laid on the ground. I sighed as I felt sleep take over me.

_Six months had passed since Michaela and I admitted our feelings for each other and since then, I had never been happier in my life. My urges to drink whiskey went away as I found something new to focus on and that was Michaela. She would sneak out of the castle in the dead of night and we would see each other in Arverne. So many kisses, whispers and tender moments were had in our spot. And when she had to leave, it broke her heart that she had to be parted from me. On this night, there was a ball. It was the engagement ball and she had wrote to me that she would try to sneak out and see me. I told her that I would meet her there. With my new job as a messenger, my post was always close to Castle Stone so my visits to Michaela were quite frequent._

_I could see her… Her beautiful periwinkle blue dress that she wore when she snuck out of the ball shone in the pale moonlight. Her blonde hair bouncing up and down as she ran towards my arms and hugged me. The way her ocean blue eyes shone as she gazed into mine. The way her lips brushed against mine as she kissed me, pulling me closer to her. When she pulled apart, she sighed. “Zeke….” she whispered as she leaned in and kissed me deeper this time. “Mick…” I murmured against her lips. “My beautiful Mick.” She moaned happily. “I just want to stay like this, with you forever,” she murmured softly. “I know.” I rubbed my thumb on her cheek. “I want this too.”_

_But then, all of a sudden, I heard an “Ahem.” Michaela and I turned around and we saw Prince Jared there. His eyes were filled with anger. “Michaela? What is going on?” he asked. “I needed to get some air,” she said as she pulled me closer to her. Jared shook his head. “No,” he said as he looked at me. “You were going to see him.” Michaela looked at me, then at Jared then back at me. She sighed. “Jared, I can’t marry you,” she said. “I’m sorry, but….I...I don’t love you. I love him.” Jared’s face went white. “No...no no no no,” he started to mumble. “We grew up together, Michaela!” he cried. “So this is why you were avoiding me. I don’t understand. You love me!” “I love you as a friend but nothing more than that,” she started but he cut her off. “Our kingdom’s alliance is going to be ruined!” he yelled. “Your brother and my father are going to go to war if you don’t marry me. You got no choice.” “Actually she has a choice” I said. “Michaela has every right to say what she wants to say. And if she doesn’t want to marry you, that is her choice.” I soon felt myself being lifted into the air and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. “Jared put him down!” Michaela screamed as I choked. “No,” he said, with such malice in his voice it chilled me to the bone. “I have a better idea.” He released me from his choke hold and I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I coughed as I looked up at him, hatred seeping through every inch of my body. Now I realized why Michaela was so afraid of Prince Jared. He was ruthless and selfish. “I see why she doesn’t want to marry a fox-hearted coward like you,” I snarled at him. I felt myself being lifted up into the air again. “I know who you are, Gold Star,” Jared sneered at me. “You’re nothing but a bandit and a whiskey addict.” “No he is not!” Michaela snapped. “He’s not like that anymore. He is a good, kind man. He has a good heart. Unlike you.” she addressed the last part to Jared. “Well, I have the perfect punishment. I’m going to cast a curse. I’m going to send your stupid lover to a forest where he can’t escape from and as for you, you’re going to forget that he ever existed.” With a quick motion of his hand, Jared let out a purple cloud of smoke and cast it over Michaela. She fell over and was knocked out unconscious. “Curses can be broken,” I said through gritted teeth. “You’re going to regret doing this because I know this curse and it will be broken. Watch me.” With that, Jared flicked his wrist and I soon lost sight of him. Saanvi had told me about this curse and the effects would only last a year. At least that would give a year to think about how I was going to get her back. Luckily for me, I had allies inside the castle. Olive, Cal and TJ were sworn to secrecy about my relationship with Michaela and I knew they would plot a rebellion against Jared to take Michaela back from him. I just hoped it would be enough._

“Zeke? Zeke, wake up,” Olive’s voice cut through my dreams. I opened my eyes and I found her standing above me. In her hand, she had a pigeon. “Message from Michaela,” she said as she handed me the note. I took the note from Olive and I read it.

_Zeke,_

_The wedding is in three nights. Please come. I love you._

_-Mick_

__

__

“The wedding is in three nights,” I said as I rolled the note up. “That means we got lots of time on our hands to think about how we’re going to crash this wedding.” Olive nodded. “Our contact on the inside has got us the necessary plans for us to get in,” she said. “And it involves climbing.” I sighed. _Oh goody,_ I thought. _This is going to be a lot more interesting than I thought._


	12. Michaela

One night had passed since I had sent my message to Zeke. He wrote back and gave me a note that told me to hold tight. He had brought sailors with to help out with the attack. Jared had come in several times to keep me under his spell but the effects of the strange blue stone that he had were starting to weaken on me as I was more focused on getting back to Zeke than focusing on my upcoming nuptials. My wedding trousseau had arrived with a note from Ben for me to finish it. Since I was trapped in Jared’s castle, I didn’t finish my wedding trousseau because it was left back at home. So now, to keep my mind busy, I worked on it. As I worked on making my trousseau, I let my thoughts wander.

_When I woke up, I felt my head spin and my ears ring. I felt like something hit me extremely hard, like a giant pile of rocks hit me on the head and I didn’t remember what had happened. I found myself in a very bland looking room. It was cold. I took in my surroundings. It was a room that was made of extremely dark granite. I was on a bed and it wasn’t very comfortable to say the least. I could feel the straw mattress poking at my dress. As I looked around, I noticed that there was a small desk with a chair and a wash basin. There was a small closet with extremely drab looking dresses hanging inside. And that’s when I noticed the window. It wasn’t like any other window like I had seen before. There were bars._ I’m in prison, _I realized._ But, I didn’t commit a crime. _Just then, the door opened and there was Prince Jared standing there, with that cheeky smile of his. “Hello Michaela,” he said as he walked towards me. He stooped down and gave me a kiss. I immediately pulled away. “Stop,” I said. “I want an explanation of why I am here.” He laughed but there was something to that laugh that I didn’t like. It scared me. “You’re my guest,” he said._

_“No, I’m a prisoner.”_

_“And what makes you say that?”_

_“Would any prince keep their fianceé locked up in a tower cell like this?”_

_“To keep an eye out on you. There are dangerous people out there who want to hurt you.”_

_"I can protect myself.”_

_"Actually you can’t.”_

_“I trained with the Royal Scouts. I can wield a sword, shoot with a bow and punch a drunkard with a fist.”_

_“Well, you’re not leaving this castle. Ever.”_

_Jared then took out a glowing beautiful blue stone. “I see that you are resisting your life here. So we are going to fix that. Look at the blue, Michaela.” I immediately turned away. “If this is some cheap sorcery, I’m not interested,” I snapped. But then, I felt this force turn my head and I felt immediately drowsy. “Look at the blue,” Jared whispered. “No…” I moaned but the more I resisted, the more I felt the pull. I felt this strange calming feeling wash over me. It felt….right. Jared moved closer to me and he leaned forward and he kissed me. I put my hands on his face and I felt myself give into the kiss before I pulled abruptly back. “No!” I yelled. “You’re hypnotizing me.” “I’m helping you remember what I mean to you,” he said, his voice filled with such smoothness of a prince. “And what is that supposed to mean?” I asked. “I am the only man you have ever loved and I will always be that man.”_

I snapped out of the memory. It was true for a long time, Jared was the only person I had loved for a long time but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wasn’t that deeply in love with him than he was with me. His attachment went so much deeper than mine. But, when I met Zeke, I knew I had found my soulmate. There was something about Zeke that was different and I liked that. And the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that he was the one.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I said. To my surprise, it was Ben. “Michaela,” he started. “The wedding-” “I know it's in two nights,” I said but Ben shook his head. “No, its happening now,” he said. “I looked at Ben in horror. “What?” I gasped. “But...but….” I pointed at my trousseau. “I’m not done!” “Doesn’t matter!” Ben snapped. “Start getting ready now.” Ben left and I started sobbing. “No...no...no…” I cried as I dashed towards my desk and grabbed a sheet of paper. Zeke and the others had to know about the change in plan.

_Zeke,_

_I’m getting married tonight. He moved the wedding. Help!_

_-Mick_

I whistled for a pigeon and one came flying in fast. I tied the message to its leg and sent it flying off. I hoped Zeke would get the message soon. Because if he didn’t, our future together would be doomed.


	13. Zeke

The sun was setting as I heard a familiar coo of a messenger pigeon. Something is up, I thought. The pigeon landed on my wrist and I took the message out. When I opened it, I felt my heart lurch.

_Zeke,_

_I’m getting married tonight. He moved the wedding. Help!_

_-Mick_

“Crap crap crap,” I said as I paced around. Everything was about to get ruined. Olive and TJ noticed my nervousness. “Zeke? What’s wrong?” asked TJ as he walked up towards me. I handed him the note and he read it. “This is bad,” TJ said as he looked at me, his face grim. “We have to go in now.” Olive nodded. “Cal and I have to attend the wedding, since we are royalty but luckily my dress is equipped with a slit that I can put my dagger in. The hilt will be hidden from sight but I’ll be ready for your signal. Zeke, TJ, keep an eye out on Al-Zuras and his men. I’d rather not lose anybody today.” I nodded. “We got it.” TJ reassured Olive and he gave her a quick kiss. Olive gave him a small smile and she turned and left with Cal to head to the castle.

The plan was for Olive and Cal to attend the wedding because obviously they were royalty and royalty don’t miss royal weddings. It was perfect because we would have sources on the inside telling us about what was happening. Both Cal and Olive were trained in sword fighting and also magic. They knew how to use defensive spells to defend themselves and I thought that was pretty useful. 

Saanvi would be the lookout, due to her small size as a fairy. She too was trained in magic spells and she would cast spells on anyone who would attack her. Plus, she could fly. It was helpful to have a fairy as an ally and as a friend. I never thought I would have anyone like Saanvi, Cal, Olive and TJ in my life but here I was, so lucky to have them. And they promised to help me get back to my true love.

Night had fallen. The wedding guests were starting to arrive. There weren’t many; it was the Stones and the Vasquezes and no one else. Since the wedding was pretty much last minute, the royal diganarties from the other lands weren’t able to make it on such short notice. Part of me wondered if Prince Jared had decided to move the wedding because of me. If he knew I was here, that meant our attack could get foiled. And I prayed that it wouldn’t.

The bells began to ring as Al-Zuras and his men and I made our way to the chapel that was inside the castle. Saanvi had knocked out the garrison on duty with a sleeping spell that would keep them out for a while. When we got to the chapel, I heard a whistle and I saw Saanvi flying over head as she threw down the ropes for us to scale the wall. Climbing was not my favorite thing in the world but I did it anyway back in my bandit days. I could tell Al-Zuras and his men were having a difficult time climbing the wall but they knew how important my cause was and they kept climbing for that cause.

When we arrived at the top, Saanvi led us inside and we got the perfect view of the chapel. The guests were filing in. Queen Grace and King Ben were wearing their finest attire. In her arms, Queen Grace held on to the youngest Stone, Princess Eden. She was born four months ago, I learned from Cal and Olive and they loved her. Behind them, Olive and Cal walked in, wearing their finest attire as well. I noticed Olive had her hand towards her side, twiddling with her dagger. After they walked in, Prince Jared walked in with his father. Prince Jared’s mother had died a few years previously. My eyes were fixed on Jared as he walked in. I wanted to punch that smirk off his face. “You’re not getting her,” I whispered. “You never will.” Suddenly, the organ and the strings orchestra began to play. “It’s starting,” I hissed. I then heard one of Al-Zuras’s men stifle a laugh. “What is so funny?” I asked. He held out a wedding program. “You won’t believe who Prince Jared asked to officiate the wedding,” the sailor said as he handed me the program. I cursed. “Whatever you do, don’t laugh,” I whispered. I shook my head. _I cannot believe that Prince Jared asked the Impressive Clergyman to do the wedding,_ I thought. _Well, he does specialize in last minute weddings I guess. I looked up from my position and I saw that smug looking clergyman walk in. Then, the fanfare began to play and the doors opened and there she was, in probably the most beautiful dress I had ever seen her in. I rolled my eyes at the oversized thing of a crown that Jared had her wear. “That is the ugliest crown I have ever seen,” I said under my breath. “I agree,” said Al-Zuras. I didn’t know that he had snuck up behind me. “Do you have knowledge of such things?” I asked him. He nodded. “I have brought treasure from far off lands to kings and queens and I have seen my fair share of ugly crowns.” I pursed my lips. “Well you are a sailor,” I murmured._

__

__

Just then, the music stopped playing. There was a moment of silence before the ceremony began. I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to laugh when the Impressive Clergyman opened the wedding with these words: “Mawage. Mawage is vhat bwings us together today.”


	14. Michaela

After I had written my note to Zeke, the maids came in and got me all ready for the wedding. I hated this dress, this crown I just absolutely hated today. After I got my dress on and hair done and all that, I was escorted down to the chapel.

Before I went in, Cal pulled me aside and told me that Zeke and the rest of the gang were here to crash the wedding. Cal also told me that he and Olive had arranged for the Impressive Clergyman to come and do the wedding as a joke and to embarrass Prince Jared. The thing was that they didn’t tell Zeke about it. “We did a little magic to get Jared to hire the Impressive Clergyman,” Cal grinned. “How?” I asked. “We snuck into the kitchen a couple nights ago and put in a potion in his drink that would make him hire the Impressive Clergyman. It worked. But don’t worry, we got something special in store for you.” With that, Cal and Olive went off with Grace and Ben and Eden.

I had learned about the Impressive Clergyman in a book I read when I was a girl called _The Princess Bride._ It was one of my favorite books and the Impressive Clergyman made the wedding scene so much fun to read. I knew this was what we needed for this wedding. The wedding was a joke and I would definitely not be saying “I do” to Prince Jared. _Get ready to be the most hated prince in the kingdom,_ I thought as I made my way to the aisle. 

The fanfare began to play as I walked down the aisle by myself. I looked up into the loft that was above the altar and I could see Zeke hidden in the loft. I winked at him and he smiled at me. I was glad that he was there. When I got to the altar, Jared took my hand and the ceremony began with these words: “Mawage. Mawage is vhat bwings us together today.” There was a pause. “Mawage. Thwat bwassed awangement.” I looked down at the ground to avoid getting caught for smiling. “A dweam within a dweam!” the Impressive Clergyman continued on. I quickly glanced at Jared and he was fuming, but trying to stay calm. “Then lahv, twue lahv will foyyow youuu fowevah.” “Skip to the end,” Jared snapped. “Do yu hwave the wing?” the Impressive Clergyman asked. I quickly glanced up and I gave Zeke the signal. Cal and Olive told me at which part to signal Zeke so he could swing down and get me. I looked at Jared as he started to put the pompous looking ring on my finger. That’s when I heard something coming above from the loft and that’s when I saw him. Zeke began to swing down from the loft, one hand holding the rope, the other hand to grab me. Jared cursed. “Say man and wife! Man and wife!” Jared snapped. “Maaan and wifeee,” the Impressive Clergyman said as Zeke grabbed me and I felt myself being carried away.

But then, I heard a familiar **_TWANG!_** of a bowstring and I heard Zeke gasp in pain as he loosened his grip on me. I looked down and I saw Jared with a crossbow in his hand. I started to fall down as well and landed hard on my bum. I crawled over to Zeke and I saw the arrow that had landed in his side. Blood was oozing out of the wound. He was losing consciousness. “No, no no,” I sobbed. “I can’t lose you like this!” He held out his hand to me. “Mick….” he began. But he never finished his sentence because at that moment, he died. “NO!” I screamed. I stood up and I glared at Jared, hatred running through me. “YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!” I screeched at him as I used my magic to lift him up from the ground and I then threw him against the stone wall where he was knocked out. TJ went to go deal with him while I went back to Zeke’s side and I held on to him, sobbing.

I noticed Ben coming towards me and instead of saying something angry at me he bent down and looked at me and wiped the tears from my eyes. “You love this man?” he asked gently. “Yes,” I whispered. “I love him with all my being.” Saanvi flew towards me. “Zeke saved your life, your highness,” she said softly. “He took that arrow for you. He would die for you.” “I can’t lose him!” I cried. “Is there anything I can do?” “True love’s kiss,” Ben whispered. I looked at Ben and Saanvi. “But...but that’s in fairytales,” I started but Saanvi cut me off. “You and Zeke have true love. You can bring him back with it.” I looked at Zeke. His perfect face, so lifeless so still, it broke me. I knew what I had to do. I bent me head towards his and I kissed his lips ever so gently.

Suddenly, I heard Zeke gasp for air. “Zeke?” I whispered. I noticed that the arrow had disappeared and that the wound was gone. “Mick!” he said as he pulled me close and he kissed me. We poured everything in that kiss. All our love, happiness, joy went into that kiss. When we pulled back, we leaned our foreheads together for a moment. Zeke pulled me up and gazed at me. “Princess Michaela, my true love, my soulmate, my best friend. You have changed my life in more ways than one. You saved me when I thought I was beyond saving. You showed me that even people like me deserve a second chance, a chance of being loved. And so, I ask you,” he said as he got down on one knee and held out a beautiful ring, “will you marry me, Michaela?” I put my hands over my mouth and I gasped. “Yes! Yes I will!” I said as I extended my left hand out and he slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit. “Let’s get married!” he said.

Suddenly, the Impressive Clergyman began to shape shift and to my shock and surprise, it was Pastor Dan, my family’s chaplain. “Pastor Dan!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” “Providing my services,” he said. “I am the Impressive Clergyman. I only do that for joke weddings like this one to Prince Jared. But, I’m here to get you and Zeke married. So, shall we get you two married?”


	15. Zeke

Saanvi did her magic on Michaela and I. I went from wearing a drabby, old dirty outfit to wearing a white blouse, a leather green sleeveless tunic with brown woolen trousers and black boots. I wore a forest green cape with a gold leaf pattern sewn on the back. Michaela wore a beautiful white dress that had long flowy sleeves. Her shoulders were bare and instead of a tiara, she wore a simple circlet with flowers adorned on it. Her long blonde hair flowed down like a golden waterfall. She was absolutely beautiful. There were no other words to describe her. And we decided to get married at Arverne.

Prince Jared was locked up in the dungeon and Ben gave me his blessing for my marriage and he gave Michaela and I a castle. Ben said that he would deal with Jared while we were away on our honeymoon

.

The next morning at dawn, Michaela and I got married. It was a simple ceremony, with Pastor Dan officiating. Olive was Michaela’s maid of honor and Cal was my best man. In the early morning light, I professed my vows to Michaela after Pastor Dan began the ceremony with a few words. “Michaela,” I began as I squeezed her hands and gazed into those ocean blue eyes. “You are the greatest gift in my life. You believed in me when no one else did, cared for me when I had no one to take care of me and loved me like no one else had before. And I vow, for however long I’m privileged to be your husband, to fill your world with all the love that you deserve.” I took the ring from Cal and I slipped the ring onto Michaela’s finger. I looked up at her and she gave me the most gentle smile in the world. I felt my heart turn over.

Then, it was her turn. “Zeke, I want to be the best wife that I can be,” she said as she smiled at me. “Which to me means, I will stand beside you, loving you and supporting you in whatever choices you make in your life. I am so proud to become your wife, and to call you husband. I love you so much. And I will for the rest of my life, until death do us part.” She turned around and took the ring from Olive and slipped it on my finger. We smiled at each other, feeling how strong our love was. Pastor Dan then spoke. “By the power invested in me by the Kingdom of New York, I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” I did so, with a degree of enthusiasm. Michaela responded eagerly as she deepened the kiss. When we pulled apart, we gazed at each other. Finally. It took so much pain and loss, but we were back together and we would always be together. Because whatever force had brought us together had no intention or interest of separating us ever again.

The End


End file.
